Amy Ballinger loved to make people laugh.
When the 100-year-old Pennsylvania native, who passed away Thursday, saw a sad-eyed friend, she'd toss out a joke. Still blonde, the husky-voiced centenarian revelled in a making a bawdy joke bring out a smile - or a blush.
"Amy was vivacious, over the top. She embraced life," said Lisa Shawn, the lifestyle director at Classic Residence By Hyatt, the Lantana assisted-living facility that was Ms. Ballinger's home for the past dozen years.
An avid swimmer, great dancer and decent golfer, Ms. Ballinger grew up in a family of steel workers in Pittsburgh. She and her twin sister were the ninth and tenth children of parents who were immigrants from Germany. Ms. Ballinger quit school after the eighth grade and went to work in a laundry, said her friend, Jeanne Shaw.
Angered at the poor conditions of workers, Ms. Ballinger helped establish the Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union. Her fearless attitude and political contacts got her elected to the Pittsburgh City Council twice beginning when she was 70 years old.
The funeral for Ms. Ballinger is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1000 Lantana Road, Lantana.
When the 100-year-old Pennsylvania native, who passed away Thursday, saw a sad-eyed friend, she'd toss out a joke. Still blonde, the husky-voiced centenarian revelled in a making a bawdy joke bring out a smile - or a blush.
"Amy was vivacious, over the top. She embraced life," said Lisa Shawn, the lifestyle director at Classic Residence By Hyatt, the Lantana assisted-living facility that was Ms. Ballinger's home for the past dozen years.
An avid swimmer, great dancer and decent golfer, Ms. Ballinger grew up in a family of steel workers in Pittsburgh. She and her twin sister were the ninth and tenth children of parents who were immigrants from Germany. Ms. Ballinger quit school after the eighth grade and went to work in a laundry, said her friend, Jeanne Shaw.
Angered at the poor conditions of workers, Ms. Ballinger helped establish the Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union. Her fearless attitude and political contacts got her elected to the Pittsburgh City Council twice beginning when she was 70 years old.
The funeral for Ms. Ballinger is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1000 Lantana Road, Lantana.
Amy Ballinger loved to make people laugh.
When the 100-year-old Pennsylvania native, who passed away Thursday, saw a sad-eyed friend, she'd toss out a joke. Still blonde, the husky-voiced centenarian revelled in a making a bawdy joke bring out a smile - or a blush.
"Amy was vivacious, over the top. She embraced life," said Lisa Shawn, the lifestyle director at Classic Residence By Hyatt, the Lantana assisted-living facility that was Ms. Ballinger's home for the past dozen years.
An avid swimmer, great dancer and decent golfer, Ms. Ballinger grew up in a family of steel workers in Pittsburgh. She and her twin sister were the ninth and tenth children of parents who were immigrants from Germany. Ms. Ballinger quit school after the eighth grade and went to work in a laundry, said her friend, Jeanne Shaw.
Angered at the poor conditions of workers, Ms. Ballinger helped establish the Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union. Her fearless attitude and political contacts got her elected to the Pittsburgh City Council twice beginning when she was 70 years old.
The funeral for Ms. Ballinger is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1000 Lantana Road, Lantana.
When the 100-year-old Pennsylvania native, who passed away Thursday, saw a sad-eyed friend, she'd toss out a joke. Still blonde, the husky-voiced centenarian revelled in a making a bawdy joke bring out a smile - or a blush.
"Amy was vivacious, over the top. She embraced life," said Lisa Shawn, the lifestyle director at Classic Residence By Hyatt, the Lantana assisted-living facility that was Ms. Ballinger's home for the past dozen years.
An avid swimmer, great dancer and decent golfer, Ms. Ballinger grew up in a family of steel workers in Pittsburgh. She and her twin sister were the ninth and tenth children of parents who were immigrants from Germany. Ms. Ballinger quit school after the eighth grade and went to work in a laundry, said her friend, Jeanne Shaw.
Angered at the poor conditions of workers, Ms. Ballinger helped establish the Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union. Her fearless attitude and political contacts got her elected to the Pittsburgh City Council twice beginning when she was 70 years old.
The funeral for Ms. Ballinger is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1000 Lantana Road, Lantana.
Bio by: Shirley Bybee
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